Rail-bond.



A. B. HtKRICK.

RAIL BOND.

APPLlCATION mu) APR. 29. 1915.

- 1,170,751 Patented'Feb. 8, 1916.

RAIL u T'NE'Q 5 m [\r Minx TO E/ M7 3 9 m@z,

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ALBERT B. HERRICK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC RAIL-THAY IMPROVEMENT COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

RAIL-BOND.

Original application filed November 29, 1912, Serial No. 733,974. Divided and this application filed April To allwhomit may concern:

Be it known that I, 1\Lltl )k'1 B. I'IEIHIIGK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, county of New York, and State of NenvYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in, Rail-Bonds, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein ex plained and the best mode/in whilzh I have eonten'iplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

The present improved construction of rail bond is shown and described in my eo-pendin application for a method of and'elec trode for welding bonds to rails, liled November 29, 1912, Serial No. 733,974, the claims to such bondhaving b en required to be divided out of such co-pending application. I A

As stated in the application in question, in' the im n-oved process there disclosed and claimed, I utilize a reees ed electrode adapted to inclose the bond terminal, but shallower than, the latter so that initially said electrode will not be adapted to contact with the rail face but only be brought thus in contact with the latter alter the bond terminal has been lu'ought substantially to a state of fusion, in which state it will be coinln'essial, or

squashed, sulliciently to allow the electrodc, under the cou.l.inuin ,g pressure which is applied thereto, to-c mta :t with the rail at points laterally contiguous to said bond terminal.

Instead of a separate electrode adapted to be brought up to the bond v terminal and having a recess adapted to receive such l terminal in the fashion ust described, I V

ulilize a high rcsistalu-e" IllQill'llm, molded,

or otherwise more or less permanently attached to the terminal, as described in U. S. Letters Patent- No. 987,136, granted to me March 21, 191]. The material, however, thus attached to the bond head, or'terminal, will not extend around its edges, so as to lie flush with the contact head of said. face, as in such patent, but will stop a trillc short thereof.

In utilizing. a bond constructed as just described, the contacting of such material, or attached electrode, with the rail isnot relied on necessarily to additionally heat the rail face at the points adjacent to the termiits head or termina Serial No. 24,708.

nal where such contact occurs; but'such contact rather mar s the conclusion of the welding opcral ion, the current used being of such character that when this additional contact is thus all'orded, the heat applied to the bond terminal will be decreased by the diversion of the current and the terminal allowed to set, so that any clamping .ap

paratus, and for that matter the electrode itself, may be presently removed following the welding or brazing operation. In other words, the contact of the electrode with'the face of the rail cannot lalce place until the projecting bond head has become plastic, or flowing, in the rec in such electrode, and a homogeneous weld made with the rail head or other-surface with which the bond terminal is to he united, and as soon. as this state has heen reached the heatingaction of the electrode automatically reduced.

The (lttillhul construction of my improved rail bond will now be fully described and specifically set forth in the claims which follow. i

In said annexed drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of two abutting rail ends, showing my improved form of rail bond with attached ul. molded, electrode; Fig. 2 is .n i'ertical section of such bond and rail with other appurtenant parts, said parts he his: more or less diametrically Shown; Fig. I, is a plan View of such hond and'ra-il showing the former as it appeas when first applied to the hitter; and Fig. 4 is a view simi lar to Fig 3, but showing the bond in its final attached condition.

The form of bond 1 shown in connect-ion with the l'oregoing figures intended to he merely typiral, being composed of laminated strands and having a general U-shapc. Said hood is forth more shown as having provided with a sheet I} of hard solder. brass or like material on the face which is designed to contact with the fail. This, however, is optional so far as the novel features of the present invention Patent ed Feb. 8, 1916. I

' of which stop short of the inner face of the bond terminal, and the upper portion 6 of which is open.

In utilizing the foregoing construction of .bond with attached electrode, a separate movable electrode or contact member 7, eitherof metal, or preferably highresistance material is brought to bear against the outer face of the matrix 4: and a suitable electric current passed through the same, the

interposed bond terminal and the rail, as indicated in Fig. 2. The initial effect of such electric current, (neglecting the interposed strip 3) is to cause the electrode matrix to be highly heated. Such heat is in turn transmitted by conduction through the bond and strip, to the contacting face of the rail, so that by the time the bond terminal is fused, such rail face becomes heated to a. sufficient extent to form a homogeneous union .or weld with the metal of the terminal, which will usually be copper. Immediately, however, the bond terminal becomes sufficiently hot to become soft or plastic, it will, ,i1Ild6I',llll6 pressure'of the electrode,

spread or besqueezed out enough to allow the inner edges 5 of the electrode to come in contact with the rail face, as shown in Fig. 4. The diversion of current thus produced will permit the lowering of the general tempera- 40 ture of the electrode; and this can be regulated by a suitable proportioning of the area of the edges of such electrode thus brought into contact with'the rail, so that such terminal may actually-begin at once to harden.

5 It willfhowever, obviously be molded to the shape of the recess in the electrode, and can not by any possibility be flattened or pressed out to a degree which would render the electric connection through the bond inadequate or less than might be expected from its normal cross-section.

The shape of the bond-head-containing recess in the electrode may be a compromise between the head of the bond and the shape of the rail head or surface to which the bond is to be welded. Furthermore, if there Y is not enough metal provided by the fused bond head to properly fill the container formed by the recess between the electrode and the rail, more such metal'can be sup-.

plied through the opening 6 in the upper edge of the electrode or if an excess of metal opcurs, this may be expelled through the same opening. The shape of the container,

furthermore,-can be made such that the relation of the welded head and the surface to which it is joined, will give the maximum stantially conforming in shape with said article but shallower, whereby such article will project beyond the face of the electrode.

' As an article of manufacture, the 00111 bination with an article to be Welded, of an electrode comprising a bodybf high resistance materialiprovided with a recess 'sul' stantially conformin,g 'in"liape with said article but shallower, whereby such article will project beyond the faceof the electrode, said electrode body having an opening extending from the upper side to such recess.

As an article of manufacture, the com bination with a rail bond, of an electrode comprising a body of high resistance mate rial provided with a recess substantially conforming in shape with the terminal of said bond but shallower, whereby such bond terminal will project beyond. the face of the electrode.

4. As an article of manufacture, the combination with a rail bond, of a-body of high resistance material applied to the terminal of said bond, such body inclosing the outer face of the bond, terminal and the edges thereof save for the portion of such edges adjacent the inner face of the terminal.

5. As an article of manufacture, the combination with a rail bond, of an electrode comprising abody of high resistance material provided with a recess substantially conforming in shape with the terminal of said bond but shallower, whereby such bond terminal will project beyond the face of the electrode, said electrode body havin an opening extending from the upper si e to such recess.

6. As an article of manufacture, an electrode adapted to be applied to and carried by the article to be welded, said electrode comprising a body of high resistance material provided with a recess substantially I l conforming in shape with said article but shallower, whereby such article will project beyond the face of the electrode.

7. As an article of man'ufature, an electrode adapted to be applied to and carried by the article to be welded, said electrode comprising abody of high resistance material provided with a recess substantially conforming in shape with said article but shallower, whereby such article will project beyond the face of the electrode, said electrode body having an opening extending from the upper side to such recess.

8. As an article of manufacture, an electrode for use in homogeneously uniting a bond to a rail, said electrode comprising a body of high resistance material provided with a recess substantially conforming in shape with the terminal of said bond but shallower, whereby such bond terminal will project beyond the face of the electrode.

9. As an article of manufacture, an electrode for use in homogeneously uniting a bond to a rail, said electrode comprising a body of high resistance material adapted to be applied to the terminal of said bond, such body inclosing the outer face of the bond terminal and the edges thereoT save for the portion of such edges adjacent the inner face of the terminal.

10. As an article of manufacture, an electrode for use in homogeneously uniting a bond to a rail, said electrode comprising a recessed body of high resistance material adapted to initially fit partially over a bond terminal, the recess in said body being of the ultimate shape of such terminal.

Signed by me, this 27th day of April 1915.

ALBERT B. HERRICK.

Attested by- D. T. DAVIES,

H. B. FAY. 

